Flender

Biodata

Background / History

Recruiting Lin Kong

Flender first meets Lin Kong in his Suotuo City shop. Initially dismissing him as penniless, he becomes welcoming when Lin Kong mentions Shrek Academy and flatters its dean. Recognizing that the twelve-year-old has reached rank twenty-one, Flender accompanies him to the Great Soul Arena to assess his practical combat ability 14.

His presence enables Lin Kong to register without Spirit Hall identification. After watching Lin Kong easily win his first two matches, Flender begins placing maximum bets on him, winning eight consecutive wagers during Lin Kong’s ten-match streak 15 16.

When Lin Kong demands half the profits, Flender attempts to offer academy admission instead. Lin Kong threatens to negotiate directly with the arena, forcing Flender to give way rather than lose a valuable recruit. Flender accepts his delayed arrival and agrees to reserve the plate gold hair crystal from his shop. He then considers using his winnings to repair Shrek’s dormitory roofs and replace its dining utensils 16.

Protecting the New Student

Flender welcomes Lin Kong as Shrek’s eighth student, despite his absence from the normal entrance examination. When the other students question this exception, he leaves them to settle the matter through a practical assessment, ultimately assigning Tang San as Lin Kong’s opponent 17 18.

He interrupts Tang San before he can publicly reveal Lin Kong’s rapid rise from rank ten to rank twenty-one. Flender recognizes that such information could suggest possession of a Soul Bone and provoke greed within the class. He himself had briefly felt that temptation, but dismissed it because of the connection already established with Lin Kong 18.

During the duel, Flender forbids Tang San from using hidden weapons against a classmate. After Lin Kong wins, he asks whether anyone still objects to the admission, then directs the students to pay their tuition 20 21.

Rivalry with Suotuo Advanced Soul Master Academy

Flender secretly arranges for Lin Kong to avoid fire-attribute opponents during his forty-match winning streak, while profiting from bets on his victories. He nevertheless insists that Lin Kong defeated opponents of every other attribute and role on his own merits 29.

His old rival Majila challenges Lin Kong through Shi Liyuan, a rank twenty-nine fire-attribute Soul Master. Worried about the matchup, Flender provides intelligence on Shi Liyuan and confronts Tang San over his refusal to help. He eventually orders Tang San to lend Lin Kong usable hidden weapons 28 29 30.

After Lin Kong wins with the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, Flender collects Majila’s wager—an eighteen-cubic-meter Storage Soul Tool—and gives it directly to Lin Kong. When Ma Hongjun subsequently accepts Shi Liyuan’s challenge, Flender sternly warns his disciple against losing; Ma Hongjun wins as well 30 31.

Oscar’s Third Soul Ring

Upon learning that Oscar has reached level thirty, Flender immediately drops his reprimand for Oscar’s lateness and congratulates him. He cancels the day’s classes and assigns Zhao Wuji to lead the students into the Star Dou Great Forest the following morning, emphasizing that the trip should help them become a genuine team 35.

Appearance

Flender has an angular face, described during his confrontation with Majila as “shoehorn”-shaped 31.

• Glasses, which he adjusts while speaking 14.
• A prominent hooked nose, his most distinctive facial feature 14.
• A slightly protruding chin 14.

Personality

Flender is openly miserly and opportunistic. He prices an unfamiliar crystal according to what he thinks Lin Kong can afford, initially charges one Gold Soul Coin for tea, and tries to retain all his betting profits. His students find his later willingness to buy expensive tea and unlimited pastries so unusual that they suspect a trap 14 16 26.

His attachment to money coexists with a strong investment in Shrek. He plans to spend his winnings on the academy’s poor facilities, values a promising student above a rare material, and allows talented students room for personal secrets so long as they do not harm the school 16.

Flender enjoys flattery, teasing, and humiliating rivals. He enthusiastically praises Shrek’s dean while speaking to Lin Kong without revealing his identity, then later taunts Majila after winning their wager. He also becomes irritated when Lin Kong corrects Ning Rongrong before he can deliver his own planned lesson 14 24 31.

Despite his scheming, he treats student unity and safety seriously. He prevents hidden weapons from entering a friendly spar and rebukes Tang San’s hostility toward Lin Kong. However, he mistakes Tang San’s resentment for ordinary frustration over a defeat, failing to recognize how deeply the hostility has developed 20 30.

Abilities & Skills

Soul Saint Cultivation

Flender belongs to the small group of Soul Saints active around Suotuo City. His strength is comparable to Majila’s 15 31.

• Rapid movement: Crosses several meters in a stride and makes sudden, shadow-like appearances at the arena 16 28 31.
• Deterrence: His cultivation makes arena staff accommodate Lin Kong’s registration and discourages Majila from attacking him 15 31.
• Unspecified combat repertoire: The supplied chapters do not identify his individual Soul Skills or show a full battle involving him.

Talent Assessment

Flender evaluates students through both Soul Power and demonstrated combat performance 14 15.

• Recognizes Lin Kong’s rank twenty-one cultivation from his unsettled Soul Power fluctuations 14.
• Judges his Soul Grandmaster-level fighting ability after two arena victories 16.
• Anticipates the danger posed by Shi Liyuan’s fire attribute and obtains information on his Soul Skills 28 29.

Teaching and Training

Flender emphasizes survival, endurance, and actual combat rather than cultivation rank alone 22 26.

• Support-type conditioning: Assigns Oscar and Ning Rongrong twenty village laps—sixty kilometers—to build physical fitness 22 25.
• Responsible assistance: Warns Oscar to consider what genuinely benefits Ning Rongrong instead of merely helping her escape punishment 25.
• Combat requirement: Requires students to obtain a Silver Soul Badge before graduating 26.
• Team development: Uses Oscar’s Soul Ring expedition as an opportunity for the entire class to grow together 35.

Equipment / Items

• Personal Storage Soul Tool — Used to store his betting winnings 16.
• Plate gold hair crystal — Shop merchandise that he agrees to reserve for Lin Kong 14 16.
• Eighteen-cubic-meter Storage Soul Tool — Collected from Majila as a wager prize and immediately awarded to Lin Kong 31.

Relationships

• Lin Kong — Personally recruited student and frequent source of both profit and frustration. Flender admires his independence, protects his cultivation secret, and repeatedly finds himself outmaneuvered by him 16 18 25.
• Ma Hongjun — Personal disciple. Ma Hongjun addresses him as “Teacher,” jokes about his stinginess, and responds seriously to his warnings 17 29 31.
• Tang San — Student whose hostility toward Lin Kong troubles him. Flender intervenes in their spar and later insists that Tang San help his classmate 20 29 30.
• Oscar — Student who trusts that Flender’s harsh assignments have a purpose. Flender corrects his judgment and celebrates his advancement to level thirty 22 25 35.
• Ning Rongrong — Student he is authorized by Ning Fengzhi to discipline. He tests her endurance and acknowledges her eventual perseverance 22 25.
• Majila — Long-standing rival and dean of Suotuo Advanced Soul Master Academy. Their competition culminates in student duels and the loss of Majila’s Storage Soul Tool 28 31.
• Zhao Wuji — Fellow Shrek instructor entrusted with leading the students’ expedition to obtain Oscar’s third Soul Ring 35.

Notable Quotes

“That kid... he's pretty stubborn. Still, he really is a promising talent. Shrek needs people like him, with minds of their own and the strength to back them up.” 16

“Tang San, put away all that miscellaneous stuff of yours. Lin Kong isn't your enemy. He's your classmate. From now on, you'll both be members of Shrek.” 20